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Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Ceremony
April 23, 2008

Prepared remarks by
Michael S. Levinson
City Manager
City of Coral Springs

Fourteen years ago we had a dream to one day stand toe-to-toe, shoulder-to-shoulder with the best-run corporations in America. The receipt of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award announces our arrival. We accept this most prestigious Award on behalf of our Coral Springs “Community of Excellence,” including our residents, businesses, employees and volunteers. We do so because our community has played an active role in our quest to reinvent government and because our community is the true beneficiary of our accomplishments.

Reaching this level of performance excellence proves that government can meet the needs of its customers in the most responsive and fiscally responsible way, People ask. ”Why Baldrige?” We respond:

  • A 94 percent resident satisfaction rating;
  • A 97 percent business satisfaction rating;
  • A 97 percent employee satisfaction rating;
  • AAA credit ratings from all three rating agencies on Wall Street;
  • And our ability to sustain these exceptional ratings through the best of times and through the worst of times.

How are we able to do this?

  • Our state of the art business model, based on the Baldrige criteria;
  • Our focus on the customer; and
  • The removal of layers of bureaucracy, replaced by a well-trained, highly accountable and accessible workforce.

We're proud to be the first local or state government in the nation to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. We're most proud of the process improvements and results we've been able to achieve that have earned us this unique distinction.

Special thanks to the Florida Sterling Council—represented here today—for their support and guidance every step along the way of our 14-year quality journey. If not for our involvement with Florida State Quality Program, we wouldn’t be here today.

I would be remiss if I didn’t thank our business community—also represented here today—for underwriting the cost of the Baldrige evaluation process and for being our cheerleaders and ambassadors for change.

Our sincerest thanks to the members of our City Commission, past and present, for their unwavering support of our quest for excellence. It takes guts to check your politics at the door in order to make data-driven policy decisions.

Finally and most importantly, thank you City of Coral Springs employees. Your relentless and passionate pursuit of excellence is most responsible for turning our dream to reinvent government into a reality for the betterment of our community.

News release on the ceremony for the 2007 Baldrige winners

Posted: 04/23/08
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